FIG. 1 thus illustrates an example of a transistor comprising an InxGa1-xAs channel highlighting the source, the gate and the drain, requiring the making of contacts. FIG. 2 illustrates another type of configuration for photonic applications that also requires the making of contacts and in which the present invention may be particularly of interest.
Contacts on InxGa1-xAs with 0≤x≤1 that are compatible with a Si-CMOS technology are generally produced by solid-state reaction between a metal (Ni) or a metal alloy NiyM1-y and the semiconductor (InGaAs) as described in the publication by S. H. Kim et al., IEDM 2010, 26.6.
This reaction, carried out between 200° C. and 500° C. by rapid annealing in a controlled atmosphere results in an Ni—InGaAs intermetallic compound being obtained, as described in the publication by Ivana et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B 31 (2013) 012202 and in the publication by P. Shekter et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B 31 (2013) 031205, which can be used for the making of S/D contacts of the transistor as described in the publication by S. H. Kim et al., IEEE Trans. Electron. Devices 60 (2013) 2512 or to contact the electrode used for electrical pumping of the laser as described in the publication by E. Ghegin et al., IEEE Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop 2016, 214.
To date, the nature of the phases and of the textures obtained during the solid-state reaction between Ni and InGaAs was not properly known as described in the publication by S. Zhiou et al., J. Appl. Phys. 120 (2016) 13530.
Yet control of the latter may result in an optimized intermetallic compound being obtained, which inter metallic compound is optimized in particular in terms of morphological stability, thickness and contact resistivity enabling a control of the production of the contacts.
This is why in this context the present invention relates to a process for manufacturing an optimized intermetallic contact.
The Applicant proposes a process that makes it possible to control the phases and the textures of the Ni—InGaAs intermetallic compound, based on an in-depth study of the solid-state reaction between the Ni metal and the InxGa1-xAs compound with 0≤x≤1, this being in order to favor:                a texture that results in an optimized contact interface and an optimized morphology;        a hexagonal phase with well-defined stoichiometry which is favorable in terms of contact resistivity.        